The client’s hand was sliding up my thigh when I saw Adrian Vance across the room, linking arms with his assistant to drink champagne. To keep the client happy, I’d drunk myself into a state of near-suffocation, my body screaming from alcohol poisoning. But Adrian didn’t spare me a single glance. He was too busy, his focus entirely on picking the cilantro out of his assistant’s bowl, coaxing her to eat like a good little girl. When the dinner finally ended, one word from his assistant—"Bored"—was all it took. He ushered me out of the car, ready to whisk her off to the next party. “The kid’s been working so hard lately. I’m taking her out to unwind.” “You wouldn’t get what young people are into these days. Don’t tag along.” “And listen, I’m going to be out with her all night, so that thing about the marriage license tomorrow… let’s just push it back. We’ll talk some other time.” Five years we’d been married. This was the 99th time Adrian had unilaterally canceled our appointment to make it legal. I just nodded. If he was always this busy, then maybe there was no point in ever signing those papers after all. 1 Through the half-open passenger window, Daisy stuck out her tongue in a mock apology. “So sorry, Kate! It’s all Addy’s fault, he just spoils me rotten! I’ll make sure he brings you back some late-night snacks, I promise!” Before I could even respond, Adrian was already there, smiling as he ruffled her hair. “You little glutton. You think everyone’s as obsessed with food as you are?” He shot a look in my direction. “Don’t worry about her. We don’t need another drama about food poisoning or some fake allergy. I don’t have time for those games.” So, he had seen me struggling. He just assumed it was another one of my acts, another pathetic attempt to win his attention. Normally, this would have been my cue to break down, to sob and argue and try to make him understand. But this time, I said nothing. I just offered a simple, quiet instruction. “Alright. You two have fun.” Adrian froze for a second, a flicker of surprise in his eyes before it was replaced by his usual smirk. “Good. It’s about time you stopped throwing pointless tantrums.” The car sped away. Just before they left, Adrian, ever so thoughtful, lowered Daisy’s window all the way so she wouldn’t feel stuffy. I get carsick easily, especially in his car. But he’d never once rolled down a window for me. “The wind will blow dust all over the interior. Can you stop being so dramatic all the time?” A cold clarity washed over me. I twisted the wedding band off my finger and, without a second thought, tossed it into the dark, churning river below. The next morning, I was at the orchestra hall early to hand over my duties. Ever since Adrian Vance, the piano prodigy, had made his debut, I had been his manager. “You’re resigning? Does Adrian know?” my boss asked, his eyes wide with shock. “He’ll find out when the new manager arrives,” I said, then walked out of his office and toward the performance theater. I ran right into Adrian. He was wearing a crisp new shirt I didn’t recognize, the scent of a different shower gel clinging to him. He flexed his wrists, his gaze landing on me. “I drank too much last night, so I just got a room to crash in. That’s why I didn’t come home.” It was the first time in ten years Adrian had ever bothered to offer me an explanation. I simply nodded, saying nothing. “Did you have an early meeting or something?” he asked then. I looked up at him, a ghost of a memory surfacing. After every one of these dinners, I was always up by five or six in the morning, preparing a spread of hangover remedies and a soothing breakfast for him. It had been this way since he was eighteen. It was no wonder he was confused not to find it waiting for him this morning. I just nodded again. “Something like that.” I was about to walk away, but Adrian, whose brow had been furrowed since he saw me, grabbed my wrist, his face darkening. “Alright, Kate, that’s enough.” His voice was tight with annoyance. “I just postponed signing the papers, I didn't cancel it for good. This little act of yours is getting old.” But I wasn’t acting. And I truly had no intention of ever signing those papers. This was as good a time as any to make things clear. I opened my mouth to speak, but a girlish, pouting voice cut through the air. “Addy! It’s all your fault!” “The ones you bought me this morning… the absorbency is all wrong!” “These are for, like, daily use! I can’t use these! You’re such a clueless man, Addy!” 2 Daisy was stomping her foot a few yards away, her cheeks puffed out in a theatrical display of frustration. The moment Adrian saw her, he shoved past me, rushing to her side and sweeping her up into his arms in a dramatic, bridal-style carry. His voice was laced with urgent concern. “It’s that time of the month and you’re running around barefoot on a cold floor? Are you trying to get sick?” A memory, sharp and bitter, flashed in my mind. Earlier in the month, my own cramps had been so severe I was curled into a ball on the bed. I’d begged Adrian to get me some pads and painkillers. He’d frowned, disgusted. “You want me, a grown man, to go buy that stuff?” “Every woman goes through this. Just tough it out. God, you’re so much trouble.” By the time I snapped back to the present, Adrian was already carrying Daisy away. I looked away, swallowing the familiar ache in my chest, and pulled out my phone. I found the number for the headhunter who had been trying to recruit me for an overseas position for months. Just after I booked the flight, a notification popped up on my phone. Daisy had tagged me in a new post. It was a Boomerang of a large, masculine hand slowly, gently rubbing her stomach. The audio was just her, sighing contentedly. “Addy, your hand is so warm…” The caption read: My clueless boy feels so bad about my period cramps, he said he’d help chase all the pain away! It feels so good to be cherished~ Her intentions were as subtle as a sledgehammer. I liked the post. Then, I navigated to my own profile and removed the picture of our wedding day that had been my cover photo for years. … Later that day, a major orchestra was visiting for a joint rehearsal. Since I was still in the process of handing over my duties, I was tasked with managing the event. I was escorting the visiting musicians, leading them to the lounge to settle in. As we entered, the first thing everyone saw was Adrian, sitting at a table, patiently feeding a spoonful of food to Daisy. “Wow,” one of the violinists whispered. “I’d heard the great Adrian Vance married his manager, Kate, years ago. I had no idea they were still so in love!” “I know, right? And for a pianist, his hands are his life. To think he’d use them to pick vegetables for his wife…” Yes, a pianist’s hands. The most precious things in his world. For ten years, I had managed every aspect of his life, terrified he might suffer the slightest scratch. And now, here he was, using those priceless hands to dote on another woman. The whispers of admiration finally reached the pair. When Daisy saw me at the head of the group, her face crumpled into a mask of wronged innocence. “Kate, look at Addy!” she whined. “He’s forcing me to eat all this liver! I’m going to get so fat because of him!” Adrian didn’t even look at me. He just gently wiped a smudge from the corner of Daisy’s mouth. “Be good. Finish this, and then you have to drink your ginger tea.” The chatter around me died instantly. I met their awkward, pitying glances, forced a professional smile, and guided them to their seats. Once everyone was settled, I pulled out my phone to continue my online visa application. I didn’t hear him approach, but suddenly Adrian was standing behind me. He saw my screen, and his expression turned cold. “A visa? Who are you getting that for?” Before I could formulate an answer, he seized my hand, his voice thick with a surprise that bordered on panic. “Kate, where’s your ring!?” He stared at my bare finger. “Don’t you dare tell me you just forgot it at home!” I knew why he was reacting this way. For the eight years since our wedding, that ring had never left my finger. His own ring, meanwhile, had never once seen the light of day. Connecting the dots, a flicker of genuine fear crossed Adrian’s face. He squeezed my hand tighter, his eyes boring into mine. “Answer me!” I was about to tell him the truth, but a piercing shriek cut through the tension. “Aah! It hurts! Addy, it hurts so much…” Everyone’s head snapped toward the sound. Daisy was on the floor beside the grand piano, her hand outstretched, a bleeding gash across her palm.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "393568", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel